


my only sunshine (you make me happy)

by SecondhandLovers



Category: Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure (Cartoon), Tangled (2010)
Genre: Established Relationship, F/M, Fluff, Pet Names, Praise, Relationship Study, idk i'm just Soft for them y'all, rated t for sexual references
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-25
Updated: 2020-07-25
Packaged: 2021-03-04 21:54:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 681
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25473454
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SecondhandLovers/pseuds/SecondhandLovers
Summary: "Sunshine" befits her, he thinks.---or:  a little ficlet about Eugene calling Rapunzel sunshine, and the significance it holds.
Relationships: Eugene Fitzherbert | Flynn Rider/Rapunzel
Comments: 7
Kudos: 48





	my only sunshine (you make me happy)

* * *

The first time he calls her "sunshine," her cheeks flush a bright pink. 

She is no stranger to the many terms of endearment he bestows upon her -- _blondie_ in everyday conversation, _honey_ when he's teasing, _sweetheart_ when his voice is soft and the moment tender.

He calls by her actual name when the tone is serious, a quiet plea to open her heart and understand the sincerity in his words.

He had yet to call her sunshine, though.

"That's a new one." Rapunzel remarks, playfully bumping shoulders as the two of them walk the palace gardens together. Their feet move at barely a shamble, the pair content to stretch out their time in each other's company.

Eugene's eyes fall on her, trying to gauge her reaction. He knows there are some names that are off-limits, pet names that taste like ash in her mouth, with reminders of towers and manipulation and loneliness poisoning every syllable. He doesn't recall sunshine being on that list. Still, though. "If it you bothers you, I won't--"

" _No!"_ She says, surprising even herself at the fervency in her voice. She clears her throat, turning her face toward the ground to try to hide the flush of her skin. She speaks up, this time softer. "No, actually I, um-- I like it. I _really_ like it." 

Well, in that case-- he's hardly going to _deny_ her.

  


* * *

  


Over the months, the nickname sprouts up more and more frequently. 

It's always worth it to see how her eyes _soften_ at the moniker, her lips unable to stop from quirking up in a hint of a smile.

With the soft delight present in her every reaction, perhaps it is no surprise when the term weaves it's way into all of his praises.

It's a _"you look beautiful, sunshine"_ across the soft glow of candlelight, while the two of them enjoy a rare dinner date in-between the seemingly neverending chaos.

It's an _"i've got you, sunshine. we're safe"_ with his lips pressed to her forehead, when she's curling herself against him after a far-too frequent nightmare. His voice low and his arms tight around her until the shaking finally stops.

He says it in the halls when he bids her goodnight, placing an exaggerated kiss to her hand while the guards are present-- though they both know he'll only sneak in later, at her request, to make sure she sleeps through the night.

It's _"i'm proud of you, sunshine"_ when she accomplishes a feat of which no one else was capable-- he is never surprised by her sheer tenacity and strength, but he is in **awe** all the same. 

It's him all but purring it against the skin of her neck, when her days are long and reigning is hard and she longs to release that built-up tension.

It is the dark of their bedroom, atop an ocean of sheets, as he traces out the word 'sunshine' with his tongue between her thighs.

It's the way he whispers it like a _prayer_ when she pulls him close, when the world feels heavy and the only levity he can find is in her arms. When the shadows of his past nip at his heels and threaten to devour him-- only for Rapunzel to bathe him in her light and make him feel whole once more. 

Sunshine befits her, he thinks.

He doesn't coin the term because of the magic she was born with, nor some pre-conceived notion of destiny. It is not about sundrops or moonstones or curses or fate.

Instead, it is because her radiance is engulfing, all encompassing. If she is the sun, then he is Icarus, willingly flying to her orbit and melting before her. Only-- against all odds-- their story does not end in tragedy. 

It is the way she embodies the sun in all that she does. Her laughter could make the flowers grow, her kindness a light upon the land, the warmth she emits bringing comfort in even the coldest of hours. 

She is his sunshine, and he is forever eager to bask in her presence.


End file.
